Vacations Blog

The lighthouse at Cape Hatteras National Seashore Hatteras, NC

There are 248 narrow, spiraling steps to the top.  The climb is strenuous.  It is hot and humid, there is no air conditioning and the stairwell is noisy with two way traffic and only one handrail.  Individuals with heart conditions, lung conditions, bone conditions, sensitivity to heat, stress or noise, those with difficulty running, walking, climbing stairs or standing erect, people with claustrophobia, agoraphobia, myctophobia, melano-leukophobia, climacophobia, bathmophobia or any other serious medical or mental condition should use their own discretion as to whether to climb the lighthouse tower.

I chose to stand outside and take a picture.

(Photo by Ed Lamaze, who had the foresight to read the warning signs prior to dragging his kids to the top of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.  That and the wait was over an hour and the kids were hungry.)

Beaches at Cape Disappointment

Cape Disappointment. Not exactly a promising name for a place you’re planning to vacation. However, my wife, two-year-old son and I just returned from a long weekend at Cape Disappointment State Park where we vacationed with friends and had a wonderful time.

Located in Washington State’s southwestern most corner, Cape Disappointment is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the mighty Columbia River to the South.  The park offers 27 miles of ocean beach, two lighthouses, an interpretive center and hiking trails.

Cape Disappointment, discovered and named by English fur trader John Meares on July 6th, 1788 was so named because at the time Meares was disappointed that he had not discovered the mouth of the Columbia River. A storm forced him to give up his search just north of the river’s mouth.  I’m sure he was truly disappointed when he later realized precisely how close he was. Sometimes the breaks just don’t fall your way.

It’s one of the foggiest places in the country with the equivalent of 106 days of the misty white stuff hanging around to greet you – not unusual in Washington State.  Fog notwithstanding, this park is a beautiful place.  Majestic vistas abound with views of the vast Pacific Ocean to the west, the mighty Columbia River to the south, and acres of lush green forest to the east and north.  As mentioned the park has multiple hiking trails of varying difficulty.  One such hike led our families to the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse.  The trail began at the Lewis and Clark interpretive Center, down a ravine past a beautiful hidden cove appropriately named Dead Man’s Cove, and back up the other side to the lighthouse.

Dead Man's Cove From Hiking Trail

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